How to Describe Your Company Culture In A Way That Attracts Top Talent

When you’re seeking to hire new employees for your company, you’ll need more than money to attract the top talent. Some of the most highly qualified candidates for a role aren’t just looking for the best compensation plan. Salary can be an important motivator, but it often isn’t the only one.

Understanding the motives of potential candidates, such as the meaning behind the work they will do and the experience they’ll have at your company are key factors in attracting top talent. In other words, a defining factor for a candidate’s employment decision will come down to company culture. 

An appealing company culture sets tech giants like Google apart from the rest and makes them appealing for candidates. When you can describe your company in a way that candidates can appreciate you’ll stand out and attract top talent. 

If you’re looking for ways to describe your company culture in ways that top candidates can appreciate, keep reading. In this article, we’ll go over the best way to create a description of your company culture so you can attract, hire, and retain the best employees.

1. Have Strong Written Mission Statement 

As a youngster early in my career days I walked out of one of the worst job interviews I’ve ever had. The owner of the company, a highly successful businessman with a picture on a wall with a former US President, talked a big game. But when he shared his business mission was only to make money - I knew that no matter what he’d offer to pay me I could find a more fitting role elsewhere. As a graduate at the top of my class, trilingual candidate, with previous experience in high-earning offices, money wasn’t the only thing that mattered to me. To the owner’s dislike, I politely walked out of the interview and went to land a dream job.  

No matter what anyone says, the pay isn’t the top reason people leave their jobs. The money is a part of it sure, but according to studies from researchers at companies like Payscale, it’s a company’s values that most impact their alignment with a job role.  

The key piece that was missing for me was a mission that matched my ideals. Similarly, there are many stories of incredible people who left their high earning roles for something more fulfilling. And there are stories of high earners who jumped ship to other roles solely because of the other company offered more meaningful work and better company culture. 

Since studies clearly show company culture trickles from the top-down, it’s important that leaders have a clear sense of the company mission and embody it in their daily work and interactions with staff. 

When your company has a clearly written mission statement, it’s easier for leaders to live and embody the values. Much like every strong country in the world has a clearly written Pledge Of Allegiance that citizens memorize and are inspired to live by, your company will do well to have a clearly written mission statement and set of values that every member of the organization knows and lives by. 

To write your mission statement, answer these 5 questions: 

1. Why does your company exist? (what is its purpose?)
2. What makes your company different?
3. Why would people want to work for your company? 
4. What value do you provide to the world? 
5. What value do you give to your employees? 

Write down as much as you can, then go back and make it short, concise and poignant so it can easily be recited and remembered by leaders and staff alike. 

2. Know Your Company Values & Write Them Down 

The values of your company set you apart. Much like these leading 190 companies stand out because of their company values, you’ll excel by having clearly written company values that your staff and leaders live by.  

This part may take more time but as author Ajay Pattani of Inc. Magazine puts it, “Companies with strong cultures are known to perform better than those without. Although creating and leveraging core values may seem daunting, the impact to your company culture can be tremendous.” 

As you look below, you’ll find 11 questions that are open-ended and not easy to answer. Taking the time to thoroughly flesh out your responses will do wonders in your ability to describe your company culture in ways candidates can appreciate. 

To create your value system, write down the answers to these 11 questions: 

1. How would you like your staff to be with each other? 
2. How would you like your staff to treat customers? 
3. What are the guiding principles that you most value and want staff to value (integrity, honesty, punctuality, and anything else that comes to mind)? 
4. What behaviors will the company value over making a quick buck?
5. When is it appropriate to put the needs of the team above those of the customer?
6. Why will staff continue to work for you besides because they’re obviously receiving a paycheck?
7. What type of people do we love to recruit?
8. How do we elevate our peers?
9. How will we live out our values as leaders and with staff? 
10. How do we create meaningful relationships at work? 
11. In what ways do we make sure to include cultural sensitivity and inclusion at the company? 

These eleven questions will require an immense effort, but the payoff is worth it. Don’t overestimate the power of answering those eleven questions. 

3. Company Culture Makes a Big Difference to Candidates

When you take the time to follow the steps outlined in this article, you’ll be able to describe your company in a way that candidates will appreciate, be attracted to, and will want to work for. 

Not only does a great description of your company values and mission help attract the best talent, but it also makes a world difference with staff satisfaction and happiness at work. Taking the time to clearly follow the steps outlined in today’s article will help you succeed in more ways than one, so make the commitment to answer and follow the processes outlined so your company can follow proven success principles.